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History of Rock 'n' Roll
|title=The History of Rock and Roll |author=Nicholas Terra |url=http://sevengenres.wikia.com/wiki/Seven_Genres_Wiki |status=Active |began=2010 |ended= |genre= Comedy, Satire, Mockumentary }} The History of Rock 'n' Roll is a webcomic series created by Nicholas Terra. As the title suggests, the series is an allegorical account of the history of rock music, through the eyes of personified subgenres of rock. Although the series takes place within a fifty-year timeline (with the earliest comics taking place during the 1960's), the majority of comics take place in the present day. Concept "The History of Rock 'n' Roll" outlines a very broad timeline of rock history, in a tongue-in-cheek documentary style. The focus is shifted on genres of rock music who are represented by anthropomorphic characters. These "genres" were based off of either real-life rock stars or typical fans of that genre. References to songs as well as historical events are littered throughout the stories and just about anything a genre says or does to another could have some subjective allusion behind it. For example, the representations of Glam and Grunge are depicted as two brothers who hate each other, referencing the drastic shift in rock during the late-80's and early-90's. Other rivalries, alliances and influences are referenced through the characters interactions. The comics started off as simple drawings, until the idea for a comic came about in 2010. The original story was to be loosely based off "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves", and centered on a family of seven genres of rock. However, the idea was officially cancelled and revived into a more informative series. On March 1, 2011, "The History of Rock 'n' Roll" began with the first comic being "The 60's: Part 1". The concept behind the revised comics were to get people more interested in "good music" through humor. The first ten comics in the series are written as a documentary with each decade from the 1960's to the 2000's having two parts. Later comics involve genres playing concerts, going to concerts, confronting a rival, or chronicling a day in the life of one of the characters. Some comics will even reference actual historic events and their effects on American culture such as the Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War. There are over 30 genres personified so far and over 40 caricatures of real life rock stars have made "Guest Appearances". Among the artists and bands who have been featured in the comics are The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Melanie, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson (from The Jackson 5 era), Randy Bachman, The Buggles, Lita Ford, Joan Jett, Tom Delonge, Mark McGrath, Deryck Whibley, Slash, Bill Kaulitz, Jani Lane, Trever Keith, Bowling for Soup, Gerard Way, Bert McCracken, Ian Anderson, Brian Vander Ark, Joe Walsh, Bread, Dee Snider and Celine Dion. Many other bands have also been mentioned by the genres as some of their favorites. Characters The Seven Genres ;Classic :The eldest child in the family band (23). Her appearance is inspired by 1960's psychedelic rock and 1970's folk rock. Classic was a typical girl from the Boston area who was born with great musical ability. She moved to California in the mid-60’s shortly after the British Invasion to take part in the counterculture of the 1960s. While there, she experimented with psychedelic drugs which had significant impact on her music. In the 1970's, she fronted The Five Genres of AOR (now "The Seven Genres") and was in charge of booking the gigs. Classic is notorious for her kind and gentle “big sister” image, as she keeps her siblings very close. She has been known to be very affectionate and will give hugs any chance she gets. Classic will protest for social change but her nonviolent resistance could sometimes put her in harms way. She is usually shown with a sunflower in her hair and wears glasses as well as a pink dress with a golden sash. ;Southern :The second oldest child (22) and second in command of the family band. He is depicted as a redneck-looking character, and is easily recognizable for his beard and his long mullet hairstyle. Southern is very patriotic and is first shown to be skeptical of the hippie counterculture, but he softened his views after witnessing Woodstock. Classic and Southern were very close since they were children, and he will occasionally accompany her to concerts and rallies. Southern taught Classic to play guitar when Billy, their eldest brother, gave up on her. Southern is the bands best guitar player, but will also play piano and violin, if needed. Despite being exceptionally brave, he is terrified of flying on airplanes. ;Metal :The third oldest child (21). When broken down, he describes himself as more into the early days of metal than anything else. Besides playing with his family band, he also played for a band called The Metalheads with Thrash and Speed. Metal had enough talent to sing and play drums at the same time. He left The Metalheads because he was tired of them disrespecting other people’s music and allegations of hiding satanic messages in his lyrics. Guilty by association, people judge Metal as being indifferent or even mean becasue of his brutal honesty, even among members of his own family. However, in reality, he is quite friendly and helpful. His character has received negative response from metal fans because of what he considers to be his favorite bands and are debated as if they are "real metal". The comics respond to these critics through the Thrash character who has more of a bias. ;Prog :The middle child (20). He is underestimated and even unrecognized by other genres and even his own family. Prog is a musical prodigy, who works tirelessly in the music studio. He plays keyboard, bass and flute. However, Prog is considered the worst singer of genres, not being allowed to be anywhere near a microphone. He tries to break away from common themes in music with rhythm and melody, and has criticized other bands he deems too boring for his tastes. This has earned him a reputation for coming off as elitist, despite his timid and neurotic personality. Prog has an extensive record collection that he listens to in their entirity. ;Glam :The third youngest child (19). Glam has two distinct identities that take the form of 70's Glam Rock and 80's Glam Metal. In the 70's, Glam wears a one piece jumpsuit with two cheek tattoos and in the 80's and beyond, he wears spandex pants, sleeveless shirts, headbands and animal print. Glam will even resort to changing costumes in the middle of a comic. He is constantly seen getting drunk and hitting on women with his catchphrase "let's get a motel room!". Despite his reckless behavior, Glam is one of the more versatile band members playing guitar, piano and bass. He's the only character from the original line-up to benefit from going solo, until Grunge stole his spotlight. Since Glam's initial appearance, he has been considered by many to be the series breakout character, because of his charm and wild personality. ;Grunge :The second youngest child (18). The personification of 90's grunge as well as the post-grunge genre. Grunge is an apathetic and somewhat misanthropic character who tends to base his decisions on rational thought rather than intuition. Grunge doesn't care for large crowds and flashy shows or even his own financial situation. He does not get along with his brother Glam, and it was revealed that he was always jealous of the attention Glam received. Although he is selfless and even friendly enough on the outside, Grunge has a lot of unsolved issues and feels confined that the bands "message" isn't being heard. He bears an uncanny resemblance to Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley, taking very little pride in his appearance. ;Emo :The youngest child (17). Emo is pessimistic, introveted, and gets easily homesick on the road. Emo is portrayed as a typical goth/emo girl who believes her only purpose in life is to express herself on stage. When not preforming, she will sometimes take time out of her day for crying. Emo is very close to Grunge, who will often try to comfort her in times of crisis. Besides being the voice of negativity, Emo also has a bit of a smart-mouth, and is viewed by other genres outside of the family as a brat. She is also viewed as being "boy-crazy" and writes about her fantasies online with her favorite rock stars. Her primary instrument is bass, however Emo can also switch over to violin when needed. Supporting Characters Art Rock-''' An androgynous starving artist who sells paintings to further her music career. Art Rock has a crush on Prog, but since she's a very quiet girl (usually speaking in as few words as possible), she never tells him. Like Prog, Art is very intelligent and doesn't show much emotion. The only difference is her hair is spikier in the front and she is much taller. '''Britpop- The only British born character who looks and talks like Noel Gallagher. Britpop is very vain and prideful, often thinking that he is better than the other genres, associating himself with Cool Britannia. He despises Grunge, often calling his music poor in comparison (which contradicts his statements of Grunge stealing everything he writes from him). Despite this rivalry, Britpop is an easy-going character who finds allies in Glam and Indie Rock. Bubblegum Pop-''' An Archie Andrews look-alike known for his very clean teen idol image. Bubblegum is always chewing on gum much to the annoyance of everyone around him. He stars in his own variety show "The Yum Yum Bubblegum Variety Hour". He's portrayed as very business savvy, yet out of touch with mainstream culture. 'Death-' A shadowy figure wearing a cloak with a hood, similar to Death personified. The only part of his face that is visible are his glowing red eyes. Death was convicted of a crime he didn't commit and took his aggression on society by slaying those who treated him as an outcast. 'Disco-' Kills himself after listening to Metal sing, a reference to suicides in the 1980s when Ozzy Osbourne and the bands Metallica and Judas Priest were brought to court by parents who accused the musicians of hiding subliminal pro-suicide messages in their music. Also referencing the Backlash of Disco. '''Heartland Rock - A typical blue-collar American who travels cross-country with his wife Wendy, in a Ford Mustang (which he has dubbed Sally). He believes his music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment. Indie Rock-''' A hipster character who wears a striped hoodie, horn-rimmed glasses, and a frog beanie. He has a bitter hatred for mainstream music, and hates Nu Metal and Pop Rock in particular. Indie is always in search for unusual albums to distance himself from the rest of the genres. 'J-Pop-' An American girl named Kayla, who after spending a year in Japan studying abroad, has developed a fascination with Japanese Pop. J-Pop is half girl/half cat, so she hates the water and ends sentences with the word "nya". Although she can speak perfect English, she likes to annoy people by speaking Japanese. 'New Wave-' The protege of Punk. New Wave also has a hatred for the mainstream pop scene in the 1970's, but has cited Disco as a major influence. His popularity faded away when his underground roots clashed with the pop music of the 1980's, which is why he is mistakenly referred to as "Synthpop" by Pop Rock. New Wave is a fat kid seen wearing an aloha shirt and a haircut similar to Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls. He comes off as good natured but really goofy and awkward. He has a whimsical, yet warped sense of reality, which satirizes quirky New Wave music videos. His hobbies include reading graphics novels and watching John Hughes movies. 'Nu Metal-' A character who bears resemblance to Joey Jordison. Knowing many of the record producers at a young age, he's taken part in several bands of different genres before developing his own style. He's the replacement drummer for the Metalheads. Thrash and Speed never take him very seriously though, even going as far as locking him out of the studio when recording. He listens in on Snow White's conversations with other genres because he is too scared to talk to her in person. 'Pop Rock-' A preppy character that resembles pop/rock in the late-2000's. Despite this presence, he claims to listen to about everything. Pop Rock is friendly to the point of coming off as annoying. He has a love for money and had even risked selling out his friends and himself. These tactics have given him highest net-worth of all the genres. 'Power Pop-' Relative of Pop Rock and Bubblegum Pop. His long and enduring music career has made him a very popular genre (especially among female characters). In recent years, he works as a music producer, putting empahsis on strong vocal melodies, high production values and catchy guitar riffs. 'Punk Rock-' A rebellious anarchist with a hatred for the American consumer culture and scene kids. He sets out to put pretentious pop acts in their place and replace it with "pure, stripped down, no bullshit rock 'n' roll". Although mean-spirited and sadistic, he encourages his audience to question authority, even letting his bandmates do whatever they want. He is a former heroin addict, and is known for his wild stage antics accompanied by highly dangerous drugs. 'Rap Rock-' A friendly video jockey from the Golden age of hip-hop. When he's not recording music of his own or collaborating with other genres, he can be seen working part-time as a receptionist for MTV. He will occasionally speak in rhyme, much to the annoyance to certain characters. 'Ska-' A descendant of Jamaican reggae, but resembles more of a mod. He is an older character around Classic and Surf's age even playing with Surf in a band. The band broke up and Ska started a solo project. He eventually forms an alliance with New Wave and later, Punk Rock. He has a bit of a drug problem which led to health problems down the road. '''Snow White- The tomboyish representative of Alternative Rock, and the only genre with a stage name. Snow has been the victim of social and economic strains, and was picked on in school for being on welfare. At 18, Snow moved out to join the now disbanded college rock group "My Spiteful Animals". Snow then left to form her own group called "White Snow" (even though it's more of a solo act). Snow's plainspoken and quirky personality has made her widely popular in the music business with the male genres. As a result, she has worked in a variety of different styles, including alternative metal. 'Space Rock-' A stoner who resembles David Gilmour. He is the missing link between Psychedelic and Punk who is found on the cargo hold of the spaceship in "Genres in Space". He is later sent on a module heading for the sun. 'Speed-' The bass player for the Metalheads. He is shown as a mentally unstable man who speaks very fast, twitches unnaturally, and like Thrash, harasses others for their taste in music. Although Speed was the one who influenced Thrash, Thrash will often twist the fact and take full credit for the bands success. 'Surf-' A Tsundere character. Surf is one of the most experienced characters in the music industry and one of the most influnetial. He lives in a beachfront house with his mute older brother Turf. Surf represents vocal surf rock while Turf represents instrumental surf rock. Surf has had a rivalry with Classic for stealing his limelight during the British Invasion and psychedelic drugs (mostly LSD) backing her up, but it is only because Surf was such a big influence that she got as far as she did. 'Synthpop-' Little brother of Disco and the only "Derivative Character" (although he calls himself a genre in the Genre Academy arc). He cosplays in a red or black Power Ranger mask and a blue or yellow Star Trek outfit on stage. His stage presence and use of synthesizers were possibly inspired by Daft Punk. 'Thrash-' The leader of the Metalheads. He is an ignorant man, who likes to solve problems with his fists and those who have different opinions from his are labeled by him as "posers". He is usually seen bullying the other genres on a regular basis and has a bitter hatred particularly for Glam. When he gets mad enough, he has the ability to become a demon, as all metal characters do.